1 Military Branch Leads All In Drinking, Smoking and Sexual Risks

A new health report says there is one military branch that drinks the most, smokes the most and participates in the riskiest sexual behavior. Being close to many military bases, we have the opportunity to meet and become social with many men and women who serve in the armed forces. Every branch of the armed forces have their own unique qualities but there's one branch that beats out all the rest when it comes to drinking, smoking, and promiscuity. The RAND Corporation researched and analyzed figures from over 17,000 members of the armed forces from a 2015 Health-Related Behavior Survey to gain their findings.

Turns out Marines are the branch that people tend to drink more, smoke more and partake in riskier sexual behavior. In fact, Marines engaged in heavy drinking and binge-drinking nearly twice as much as the Air Force. While binge drinkers have about 4 or 5 drinks when they imbibe, hazardous drinkers are more like alcoholics.

According to the San Diego Tribune, nearly half of the Marines who answered the survey reported drinking habits that aligned with hazardous drinking. Marines also used tobacco more, whether it be smoking, smokeless or e-cigarettes. They were almost twice as likely to use tobacco dip compared to the other branches of the military. When looking at sexual behavior, Marines answered that they had sex with more than one partner in the last year and were the least likely to use a condom with new partners. The Navy came in second place in this study, with the Coast Guard coming in third and the Army coming in fourth.